This week has been mainly dry, not what I was expecting from our weather forecasts, but it meant I could get on with much needed work in the garden this week, most days. More shrubs are coming into flower, making the garden rather colourful, but it would be raining hard on Wednesday when the gardener comes and he couldn’t cut the grass so it is looking rather long and shaggy! Anyway, time for SOS so lets get on with it and start with a long view……………
Shrubs now flowering and contrasting with the ginger jar.
Azalea Homebush with Viburnum and box.
Viburnum plicatum Mariesii plus Azalea Homebush
Azalea Homebush which has an amazing perfume.
Rhododendron.
Another with a beautiful perfume is Rhododendron luteum with its bright yellow blooms.
I showed this one, Rhododendron Persil last week, this week it is much whiter as the flower has developed, justifying its name of Persil which was a washing powder when I was much younger.
Hostas
Hosta June looking really good at the moment, but for how much longer, hope the slugs don’t get it!
Nearby is Hosta Hadspen Blue, still in pristine condition and looking lovely.
Wisteria
I always seem to photograph plants as soon as they start flowering, I should be more patient, they are much better a week later and this Wisteria on the garage wall is no exeption!
Chives.
Chives which have seeded into the paving near the back door, they seem very happy there even though they get flooded every winter!
Meadow.
Rusty Orange Tip butterfly in place in the meadow…….
……..the flowers, Cardamine pratensis or cuckoo flower, are now out, we just have to wait for the real butterflies to come and lay their eggs. I was reading in Devon Wildlife magazine the other week that the female just lays one egg on each flower as the caterpillars are cannibals and eat their siblings. Amazing!
Watching Gardeners World last night I was surprised not to see any flowering shrubs, are they old fashioned now, if so then I must have an old fashioned garden. They attract wildlife just as much as the perennials they were showing and to me form the background to the garden, I also planted them as a wind break as I soon found that everything was wind burnt when I started planting here.
Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations for hosting, do pop over to see what other gardeners have in their gardens at the moment.
Your “old-fashioned” garden looks just perfect to me, Pauline. The viburnum and wisteria caught my eye this week, they are simply stunning.
Thank you Helen, it’s nice that you agree! The flowering shrubs are certainly making a statement at the moment, wouldn’t be without them.
Your viburnum and rhodendrons are fabulous. I suspect many people don’t grow flowering shrubs because modern gardens are so tiny, there is just not enough room. But what riches they miss out on. Your hostas are looking very healthy.
Thank you Liz, I agree about the size of modern gardens but surely there is space for just one shrub? I can usually keep my hostas looking good until July then they seem to go downhill!
I wouldn’t be without flowering shrubs – they’re essential. Your garden is looking wonderful and I love the rusty metal orange-tip butterfly in the meadow.
I’m so pleased you like your shrubs too Graeme! I think I saw a female Orange Tip butterfly today on the cardamine flowers, the females don’t have the orange tips, they are all white, but it definitely wasn’t a cabbage white!
Wow to that viburnum plicatum! It’s amazing! I also love your hostas, which complement the photos of mine this week. The “blue “ one is very pretty.
Oh, thank you Fred, I too am thinking it looks rather splendid! Hostas are good at this time of year before the slugs and snails have got to work!
Yes, with more space there is room for shrubs to grow into their natural shapes – your viburnum in particular looks lovely! As do your hostas, although I note what you say about July!!
I redid my rockery a few years ago with dwarf shrubs Cathy, non grow more than 3 or 4ft, so plenty of roon for all of them.Just bought a load of new hostas, hopefully I can keep them pristine with the help of my hedgehog, blackbirds and thrushes.
Oh my, that Azalea/Viburnum pairing is lovely! Wisteria is so stunning–I have too much shade for it to thrive here, but it’s lovely to observe in other gardens, including yours. And the meadow of Cardamine with the metal butterfly…magical!
Thanks Beth, glad you like them. The Cardamine in the meadow will flower for about a month then the next lot of flowers take over, Conorpodium major, will keep you posted!